Ten More People Executed for Drug Charges in Iran

Iranian judiciary issued a statement announcing the names of the prisoners and details of their charges of possession and use of heroine, opium, hashish and crack, and indicating that some of these prisoners were also sentenced to flogging and a monetary fine prior to execution.

The legal proceedings against these prisoners were carried out in the presence of the defence attorneys, Iranian judiciary officials report, and add that their application for clemency was refused by the Mercy and Pardoning Commission.

Early this week, Amnesty International announced that since the beginning of this year Iran has executed prisoners at the rate of one in every eight hours.

The rights group accused Iranian judiciary of being on an “execution binge” guided by intelligence and security forces.

The Islamic Republic Prosecutor General recently announced that in order to uproot drug smuggling, the judiciary intends to confront drug related charges promptly and firmly which has translated into severity of courts and greater tendency toward issuing death sentences.

Some analysts view the spread of drug use especially amongst the youth as a sign of failure of this policy and urge the authorities to assume more effective plans to stop drug use.